Career Path of an Institutional Research Manager at California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine
Margarita's career path was "non-traditional," beginning with pre-med studies before shifting to the humanities and finding a passion for medical research. This led to roles as a Spanish research assistant, academic research during a post-baccalaureate program, and finally, a master's degree with a focus on clinical and community-based research, culminating in the current Institutional Research Manager position.
Data Analysis, Research, Career Exploration, Higher Education, Healthcare
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Margarita Bolanos
Institutional Research Manager
California University Science and Medicine School of Medicine
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
California State University Fullerton (CSUF) Post-Baccalaureate Program; California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) Master of Biomedical Sciences
Spanish & Other Languages
Education
Research and Development (R&D)
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Margarita's career path was non-traditional, starting in pre-med before moving to the humanities and then into medical research.
2. She gained valuable experience through a community research project as a Spanish research assistant and later pursued academic and clinical research.
3. Her master's program further developed her skills in data analysis and applying research findings to community health outcomes.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I'm currently the institutional research manager at California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine. I consider myself to have taken a non-traditional route toward this career.
I initially started off as a pre-med student, going through undergrad with typical biology classes. I ended up not liking it, so I ventured into the humanities. I found myself really enjoying research and got into medical research.
It was still medical-related, but it was research. I started off in a community research project with one of the physicians at Ronald Reagan Medical Center. I was a Spanish research assistant for a stroke prevention program, and that's how I found myself drawn to data analysis and research.
I continued venturing on and pursued a post-bac. I did some academic research, which was not clinical or community-based, but more academic. I still learned more about the techniques involved in research and the different software we use.
After that, I pursued a master's program and continued to do research. This time it was again more clinical and community-based. I learned different skills, how to analyze data, and how to apply it directly to the health outcomes of the surrounding community.